Young woman died from side effects of weight-loss pills ordered online

Despite being warned by a doctor last year not to take weight loss pills bought over the Internet, Ms Grace Yu Jing Ni continued. On Jan 12 this year, the 24-year-old died of dinitrophenol (DNP) poisoning after swallowing capsules she obtained online from Ukraine. DNP, which causes rapid loss of weight but with adverse side effects, is banned here. On Friday, a coroner inquiry into her death heard that she had been admitted to Tan Tock Seng Hospital in 2011 for drug toxicity and Dr Yeo Seem Huat had warned her of the dangers of getting weight loss medication through the Internet. Her mother, a manager at a transport company, had opened parcels addressed to her and discovered sachets of yellow coloured capsules without any labels. She threw them away. But Ms Yu managed to receive some. It is believed she had placed the order at an Internet cafe as she did not have a compute...